Kyrgyz Diaspora in Turkey
Kyrgyz in Turkey.
In the village of Uluu Pamir in the Turkish province of Van, about 800 people moved there in 1982, led by Rahmankul-khan. Currently, the population of this group exceeds 3,000 people. In recent years, some Kyrgyz, especially the youth, have been leaving Uluu Pamir in search of work and education, relocating to Istanbul (over 100 families), Malatya, Adana, Izmir, and other cities in Turkey (Kaipov, 2012, p. 49).
The residents of Uluu Pamir engage in livestock farming, raising cows, sheep, and goats, including for sale, while those who have moved to the cities work in various sectors: in trade, leather production, and others. Many young men and women study at higher and secondary specialized educational institutions in Turkey and Kyrgyzstan.
During their time in Turkey, the culture of the Kyrgyz has transformed. The yurt has completely fallen out of use, replaced by compact one- and two-story stationary houses. Industrially produced items are now used in daily life. Traditional utensils are fading into the past, and Turkish dishes are increasingly penetrating the diet. Some Kyrgyz elements of clothing are partially preserved, which can be observed in headwear and dresses. Some national games continue to be played: ulak tartysh (goat dragging) and ordo (knocking players out of a circular area with a ram). Other entertainments are gradually being forgotten. Oral folk art, particularly the performance of small and large epics, remains widespread among the Van Kyrgyz.
The older generation of people who moved from Pamir are well-versed in their native and Pashto languages.
The middle generation speaks Kyrgyz and Turkish, while school-aged children mainly speak Turkish. The Kyrgyz language is gradually being lost.
Family traditions are firmly maintained. Young men and women strive to find life partners from their ethnic community and very rarely marry neighboring peoples, including Turks.
After the collapse of the USSR, emigration from the independent Kyrgyz Republic began in search of work, especially from the second half of the 1990s. The ongoing socio-economic crisis and youth unemployment are the main reasons for the departure of Kyrgyz to nearby and far abroad.
The vast majority of Kyrgyz are oriented towards the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan. To date, over 300,000 Kyrgyz have obtained citizenship of the Russian Federation and other countries. At the same time, many citizens of Kyrgyzstan work abroad in European countries, Turkey, South Korea, the United States of America, and Canada.
Kyrgyz Diaspora in Afghanistan
